TOP THREE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOURLY JOBS STICKY

By Imani Holmes |October 20, 2011

Turnover is a lagging economic indicator – the final word on the state of affairs within the service industry. And slowly it’s causing the 40 percent of restaurant owners who are experiencing rising turnover rates to lose it. The latest People Report Workforce Index that Nation’s Restaurant News broke down in August is required reading.

Right now half of all relationships between hourly employees and their employers end within six months – most of the time within the first 90 days. Why? We went right to the source – Snagajob members – to discover what makes them so unhappy that they would want to leave a job within three months of getting hired. Votes are still coming in, but at last check “bad management” is one of the frontrunners (with a whopping 70% of the vote). Nipping at its heels is “boring work.”

The fact is you have some jobs that aren’t exciting and glamorous, but they still need to be done for your business to function. So how can you get employees to do these jobs well (and stay in them)? Simple answer: Change up the way you put people into these types of jobs.

Top three ways to make your hourly jobs sticky:

1. Use niche job boards. Job seekers applying through niche job boards are two times higher in quality than employees attracted through general job boards – and eight times the quality of hires made through traditional newspaper ads, according to a Direct Employers Association Recruiting Trends Survey. Fact: Quality people tend to be more highly engaged, and they tend to stick around.

2. Filter candidates before they make their way into consideration. Not only will leading off the application with filter questions “knock out” candidates who don’t meet the minimum qualifications, they can help you determine what skills the candidates are bringing to the position. Fact: Aptitude trumps experience when it comes to success in an hourly position.

3. Use behavioral assessments at the front end of the hiring process. Putting people into positions that are right for them is the key to employment longevity. Fact: If a candidate isn’t wired to tolerate frustration or have a positive service attitude (or whatever attributes would signal success in the position), it’s a losing battle to try to make it work out.

Reducing turnover is a huge step forward for your business, and you get there by taking a few small steps in the hiring process. Ready to take the first step? We’re here to help!

Imani Holmes

Imani is a content specialist at Snagajob. When she’s not writing content for employers to read, she can be found catching up with pop culture, updating her blog or channeling her inner rock star at karaoke.

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